Do it with passion or not at all

The Zombies: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ‘Odessey And Oracle’ w/ North American Tour, Stunning Book + Vinyl /CD Reissues and Partnership with OXFAM

The Zombies continue their remarkable 21st-century resurgence with a North American tour, the release of a lavish coffee-table book and reissues on CD and Vinyl. The Spring 2017 trek across the U.S. and Canada, which will continue to England and Europe later next year, includes the final full-album performances of Odessey and Oracle reuniting all four surviving members of the group, with Colin Blunstone on lead vocals, Rod Argent on keyboards/vocals, Chris White on bass/vocals, and Hugh Grundy on drums. Along with founding members Blunstone and Argent, the current line-up of the Zombies, celebrating their current release Still Got That Hunger on The End Records includes bassist Jim Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomey and Steve Rodford (Jim’s son) on drums. The Zombies just received their second nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Odessey and Oracle produced the group’s biggest hit (“Time of the Season”), and became a musical touchstone for generations to come. 50 years later, it brings the four surviving members back together on stage to perform the album in its entirety for the final time.

The book, which will be published by BMG Books and Reel Art Press in March 2017, will include handwritten lyrics for all the songs on Odessey And Oracle, as well as many of their other popular songs Lavishly illustrated with rarely seen photos from throughout the band’s career, the volume also includes original artwork to accompany the lyrics – from both Terry Quirk who created the iconic cover for Odessey and Oracle, and Vivienne Boucherat, who created individual works for each O&O song. The book’s text will include anecdotes behind the songs and their recording, all from the original members, as well as reflections from Brian Wilson, Nate Ruess, Clive Davis, Carlos Santana, Susanna Hoffs, and many others. The Foreword was written by Tom Petty.

The Odessey and Oracle is being reissued for the first time on CD in digipak on March 17th. Bonus tracks on the CD include alternate versions and outtakes from the original recording sessions. The booklet contains never seen photos as well as new notes from Andrew Sandoval.

A Greatest Hits LP is set to release on April 7th. Both these titles are being released via Varese Sarabande. There will also be a reissue of Still Got That Hunger on vinyl in baby blue which will be ready in time for the tour via The End/BMG.

For Record Store Day- April 22nd Varese is doing a limited edition 7 inch “A Rose for Emily” on Rose Coloured Vinyl with the B-Side “This Will Be Our Year”. In addition, The End Records is releasing a 7 inch featuring their 2015 version of “I Want You Back Again” with the original 1965 Recording on the flip side.

Oxfam is very pleased to partner with The Zombies on their Odessey and Oracle tour, to help fans join in on the fight against hunger and poverty. Bob Ferguson, the music outreach project manager states “Oxfam has a long history of working with iconic music artists, and we’re confident that this partnership will once again prove the adage that “music can change the world”.”

Rod Argent articulates “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to have the presence of Oxfam on our Odessey and Oracle tour. It means so much to feel we may be able to help, even in the smallest way, to fight the hunger and poverty that so very many in this world are condemned to suffer”.

Writing about that special event for Rolling Stone, critic David Fricke called it “absolutely triumphant,” and said, “Either half of this night would have been exhilarating in its own right. Together, they were a story still busy being told — in classic-pop history, psychedelic monument, continuing aspiration and enduring friendship.” The magic of that evening and the few other O&O shows was too undeniable to not continue to share it, so the band decided to bring it back one more time for this new set of tour dates.

STILL GOT THAT HUNGER FIRST WEEK HIGHLIGHTS:
#15 – Top Internet Albums
#22 – Top Independent Record Label Albums
#94 – Top Current Albums

About The Zombies:
The second U.K. band following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke-up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album Odessey & Oracle, ranked #100 in Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time.’ To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans.

Following the break-up of the original band, Blunstone went on to develop an acclaimed solo career, and Argent rocked ‘70’s arenas with his eponymous band ARGENT, but the legend of The Zombies continued to take on a life of its own. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies. The media excitedly welcomed their return, leading to a 2011 performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

2013-2016 has marked a major resurgence for the band, with two U.K. and five U.S. tours (including stops at SXSW in Austin, NYC’s Central Park SummerStage, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival and Milwaukee SummerFest)…the American release of their new album, Breathe Out, Breathe In (Huffington Post’s David Wild called the album “inspired” and said “some songs recall the haunting melodic heights of the group’s 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle.”)… the debut on RollingStone.com & VEVO of their first-ever music video for “Any Other Way”… a PBS Special filmed on the legendary Austin City Limits stage….Eminem’s sample/cover version of “Time of the Season” on his comeback album… the amazing Keira Knightley “She’s Not There” campaign for Coco Chanel… The release of 2015’s Still Got That Hunger… and the announcement of their second nomination to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.